Social networking websites provide a dynamic environment in which members can connect to and communicate with other members. These websites may commonly provide online mechanisms allowing members to interact within their preexisting social networks, as well as create new social networks. Members may include any individual or entity, such as an organization or business. Among other attributes, social networking websites allow members to effectively and efficiently communicate relevant information to their social networks.
A member of a social network may highlight or share personal information, news stories, relationship activities, music, and any other content of interest to areas of the website dedicated to the member. Other members of the social network may access the shared content by browsing member profiles or performing dedicated searches. Upon access to and consideration of the content, the other members may react by taking one or more responsive actions, such as providing an opinion about the content, or other feedback. The ability of members to interact in this manner fosters communications among them and helps to realize the goals of social networking websites.
A social network on the internet may require multiple servers to implement the services it provides. If the social network is large, then it may require many servers to provide the necessary computing power to run the social network. Even so, certain servers within the network may become taxed or overburdened with service requests, which can cause delays. For example, if a user attempts to load a web page from the social network, but the server that serves the web page is overburdened, then the user may experience a delay in viewing and interacting with the social network. As another example, overtaxed servers can cause delays or otherwise impact the provision of content or advertising to users of the social network. These types of impacts can reduce the overall quality of service provided by the social network.